Review of The Looking Glass by Jessica Arnold

Fifteen-year-old Alice
Montgomery wakes up in the lobby of the B&B where she has been
vacationing with her family to a startling discovery: no-one can see or
hear her. The cheap desk lights have been replaced with gas lamps and
the linoleum floor with hardwood and rich Oriental carpeting. Someone
has replaced the artwork with eerie paintings of Elizabeth Blackwell,
the insane actress and rumored witch who killed herself at the hotel in
the 1880s. Alice watches from behind the looking glass where she is
haunted by Elizabeth Blackwell. Trapped in the 19th-century version of
the hotel, Alice must figure out a way to break Elizabeth's curse - with
the help of Elizabeth's old diary and Tony, the son of a ghost hunter
who is investigating the haunted B&B - before she becomes the inn's
next victim.

The
Looking Glass was an addictive, dreamy read. It is listed as a
retelling of Alice in Wonderland, however other than the title (and the
main character's name) there is no resemblance to the original book. Marketing tactic?
This tale is about Alice, who decides that diving off of a swimming
board was a great idea until she bashed her head on the bottom of the
pool. Now in an epic bout of insta-karma, she's stuck in a dreamlike
world watching her world go by through mirrors.

Alice and Tony are a great couple. I rooted for them the moment they met. Tony's Dad has spotted a pattern on the hotel, that every few years a girl has had some sort of accident, been in a coma and then died a few days later. Alice quickly realises she's running out of time and has to try and find her way into her world to try and fix the curse she has.The curse idea was really clever, and we get glimpses of what had happened in the past through a diary that Alice finds in the mirror world. It's Elizabeth Blackwell's, a spoilt, vain girl dabbling in things she obviously doesn't understand. We hear a little about a sister she has that's always trying to catch her with spell books but she thinks she's got them well hidden.This is a great, creepy read without being too scary. I do think you could read it at night time - as long as you cover up your mirrors first! The whole concept felt fresh and original, despite being linked to Alice in Wonderland. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the author comes up with next!

2 comments:

Oh I am so freaked out by mirrors! This book would be ideal for me to read during Halloween time lol! Great review, this isn't the kind of book I would normally pick up, but your review is very persuasive. Happy reading! http://bookstothetea.blogspot.com/